Rockford was once known as Midway since it was half-way between the mines of Galena and Chicago. It was soon renamed for its ford across the Rock River. It prospered as a center of industry has became a city known for its history, performing arts, a unique baseball team, a grand movie palace, and an exceptional garden. And now Rockford rocks with arts and entertainment along its new Riverwalk.

During the 19th century, in a time of expansion into the upper Midwest, rail-
roads brought a group of immigrants with skills, ingenuity and perseverance, along with the hope that hard work would create a better life in a frontier village in Illinois. Immigrants from Sweden planned to settle in Chicago, but a twist of fate changed that and they set up Rockford, Ill., to be a business, government and cultural center.

It's a history and toy-lover's delight, and a time to monkey around. Sock Monkey Madness Festival will be celebrated at the Home of the Sock Monkey, Rockford, Illinois. It all happens between 11 am and 5 pm on March 1 and 2 at Midway Village Museum. Have fun discovering more about Rockford's and America’s past.

Rockford was home to a unique era in baseball history. Many of the best players in the men's league were in the military during World War II and to keep up the interest in the sport, gum magnate Philip K. Wrigley, owner of the Chicago Cubs, decided to organize the first professional baseball teams for women.

How did a frontier village in Illinois grow to become an industrial and cultural center? It was due, in part, to a group of immigrants from Sweden who planned to settle in Chicago in 1852, were confronted with an plan-altering epidemic, and had the skills to fill a need after a devastating fire.

We were on an island with gentle breez-
es and shimmering water with the lyrics
of the 1969 Glen Campbell hit "Galveston" dancing in our heads. We heard the "sea winds blowing" and watched the "sea waves crashing" and "sea birds flying in the sun," all on this Texas island in the Gulf of Mexico.

We were on an island with gentle breezes and shimmering water, the lyrics of the 1969 Glen Campbell hit dancing in our heads. We heard the "sea winds blowing" and watched the "sea waves crashing", and "sea birds flying in the sun" - in Galveston.

A visit to the National Weather Building on the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman, Oklahoma--from Science on a Sphere to the vehicle bay with specialized weather vehicles and instruments. The building houses the National Forecast Center and National Severe Storms Laboratory. Oklahoma is the state with the most declared weather disasters and you'll see "trophies" acquired while tracking storms.

Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve in Bartlesville, Oklahoma was the country home of Frank and Jane Phillips of Phillips Petroleum. It includes a wildlife park and nature trails, a museum of Native American and Western history, and the Phillips' lodge.

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